Former Professional Soccer Player ...cGPA 3.4

[Zidanechamp10]

Hi everyone!

26 year old nontraditional student here. Graduated from a 4 year university back in 2013 with a double major in Economics and International Business. After graduating I played professional soccer for a couple years. Unfortunately that got cut short due to injuries. I now own my own business, a restaurant, and am doing well. Over the last year, especially due to my soccer related injuries, I've really developed an interest for the health care world and medicine. After taking Anatomy & Phys 1 this past fall semester, medicine specifically is something I'm interested in. Due to running my own business during the day I'm only able to take the pre-requisites in the evening at a community college. Is this okay? Can ALL my science pre-reqs be takin at a CC and still manage to get interviews to med schools?

My overall gpa is a 3.4. With all A's in the pre-reqs I should be able to get it up to a 3.5. I'm hoping with a solid MCAT score, volunteer/shadowing hours, and LORs along with the A's in science pre reqs at CC I should be in good shape to apply right? What are my chances?

Please let me know what you guys think. I'd love to get some insight and guidance. Any advice you may have would be great!

Thank you!

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[curbsideconsult]

You have a great story and it makes sense why you want to pursue medicine now. As others have mentioned before, taking your prereqs at a CC doesn't kill your chances, you just need to know which med schools are open to that and which aren't. However, I think adcoms have so much experience looking at thousands of applications, that they can tell when someone is taking the easy way out by going to CC or if CC is the only option for them given their life circumstances. You certainly fit the latter.

At this point, no one can really tell what your chances are since you haven't taken the MCAT.

As for volunteering: do work that makes sense and fits with your personality. For example, coaching a kids soccer team on a volunteer basis or helping out with Junior Achievement would make sense for you.

You don't need a ton of shadowing hours, but you do need a good chunk of time to spend on clinical/healthcare-related activities. Maybe you can volunteer with your PT or at one of those specialized healthcare camps for people with spinal cord injuries. The possibilities are vast.

 

[RNthenDoc]

If you can continue using your business to build up savings to help pay for medical school, I think that is a greater in the POSITIVE column than the fact that you’re taking your prerequisites at a CC.

Congrats for owning your own business at age 26, though!

Like the above poster mentioned, you’ve got a lot of hoops to jump through but I think a professional-athlete-turned-physician is an interesting story

 

[curbsideconsult]

With running the restaurant, I'm only able to take 2 lectures and 2 labs in the evening (8 credits) each semester. The only problem I see is adcoms may look at that and say I'm not taking a full course load. I'm planning on taking the MCAT probably after next fall semester and apply next June. Fingers crossed I do well, I've never been solid at taking standardized exams.

Two lectures and 2 labs while having a full time job is plenty. What I was trying to get at earlier is that adcoms will see that and you should be fine on that front. If a school doesn't appreciate you working full time and taking two science courses on top of that and doing well in those classes, do you want to go there anyway?

Be careful of the mindset that you don't do well on standardized exams. Starting with the MCAT and going forward, your life is going to be about jumping through the standardized exam hoops. After the MCAT, you have Step 1, shelves (for a lot of schools), Step 2 CK and CS, Step 3, board exams, CMEs/MOCs (not standardized exams per se, just more bull-ish to wade through), and board exams every ten years (god I hope they change this). It NEVER ends. You need to find a way to get over whatever is holding you back on standardized exams. Perhaps you have a learning disability that was never discovered. You can get evaluated and then get accommodations. Or perhaps you need to practice meditation and find calming methods to do during the exam. Whatever it is, you need to figure it out before you take the MCAT. It'll make your life a whole lot easier.

 

[DocSoc]

Hi everyone

Hi everyone!

26 year old nontraditional student here. Graduated from a 4 year university back in 2013 with a double major in Economics and International Business. After graduating I played professional soccer for a couple years. Unfortunately that got cut short due to injuries. I now own my own business, a restaurant, and am doing well. Over the last year, especially due to my soccer related injuries, I've really developed an interest for the health care world and medicine. After taking Anatomy & Phys 1 this past fall semester, medicine specifically is something I'm interested in. Due to running my own business during the day I'm only able to take the pre-requisites in the evening at a community college. Is this okay? Can ALL my science pre-reqs be takin at a CC and still manage to get interviews to med schools?

My overall gpa is a 3.4. With all A's in the pre-reqs I should be able to get it up to a 3.5. I'm hoping with a solid MCAT score, volunteer/shadowing hours, and LORs along with the A's in science pre reqs at CC I should be in good shape to apply right? What are my chances?

Please let me know what you guys think. I'd love to get some insight and guidance. Any advice you may have would be great!

Thank you!

Hey man! I'm in almost the exact same situation as you. I literally thought I was alone! Let's keep in touch and help push each other to the next level (level of school that is!) Here's my story, wouldnt mind a bit of advice from the forum though.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to start the process for applications. Here's a bit about my history, I'll give the basic rundown.

About myself: Hispanic, adopted into a mixed family, step father was military, first generation to graduate college, from a small town, no one in my family knew a thing about soccer.

Finished college in (2013) in 4 years with 3.61 GPA (would be higher but last semester I was gone after I signed first pro contract). Major: Biology, emphasis: Pre-medicine, minor: chemistry. 505 MCAT. President and founder of Caduceus Pre-Med society for 2 years. Organized volunteer hours with Baptist children's home on holidays and worked with Habitat for Humanity building houses. Volunteered to coach under 18s with my team in Australia for the season.
NO CLINICAL OR SHADOWING EXPERIENCE.

Soccer awards include: COLLEGE: 4x all conference, 3x all region, 3 time all academic, scholar athlete of the year. Signed pro, broke my ankle, then came back and played in australia (won most valuable player, players player) and then played 2 seasons in Sweden. During injury and working back into shape I worked at an under served school as a permanent sub for 6 months as the English teacher. Also started an after school soccer program for students to come play. Furthermore, I currently am a cofounder in a business that sends players overseas to continue playing after college as it is VERY limited here in the US (helped 40 players so far).

In the end, I'm thinking about practicing as an EMT-b for a few months to get more clinical hours. Are they necessary? Just want to know thoughts on getting into a medical school somewhere. Moreover, I have considered the D.O. route.

 

[bears1992]

With running the restaurant, I'm only able to take 2 lectures and 2 labs in the evening (8 credits) each semester. The only problem I see is adcoms may look at that and say I'm not taking a full course load. I'm planning on taking the MCAT probably after next fall semester and apply next June. Fingers crossed I do well, I've never been solid at taking standardized exams.

I worked full time throughout undergrad which only allowed me to take 9 credits per semester. I was also worried about how a small course load would look but it never came up. I only applied DO so I can't say how MD schools might look at it.

 

[DocSoc]

I worked full time throughout undergrad which only allowed me to take 9 credits per semester. I was also worried about how a small course load would look but it never came up. I only applied DO so I can't say how MD schools might look at it.

How many DO schools did you apply with? And what was your MCAT at the time?

 

[bears1992]

I applied to 26 DO schools, got 7 interview invites, went to 4 and was acceptaced at two schools and waitlist at the other two. My MCAT is a 505 (126/126/126/127).

Feel free to let me know of any other questions you have. My GPA was much lower than yours (3.1 cGPA and 3.4 sGPA) so you're sitting much higher than I was when I applied.

 

[DocSoc]

I applied to 26 DO schools, got 7 interview invites, went to 4 and was acceptaced at two schools and waitlist at the other two. My MCAT is a 505 (126/126/126/127).

Feel free to let me know of any other questions you have. My GPA was much lower than yours (3.1 cGPA and 3.4 sGPA) so you're sitting much higher than I was when I applied.

That's persistence right there man. Congratulations! What year DO are you at the moment? Personally, I like the idea of DO more than an MD. Not sure why people turn their nose against it.. Lots of doctors who just give out antibiotics hence the high increase in antibiotic resistance..

As for the interview stages, what were some of the questions like?

 

[DocSoc]

I applied to 26 DO schools, got 7 interview invites, went to 4 and was acceptaced at two schools and waitlist at the other two. My MCAT is a 505 (126/126/126/127).

Feel free to let me know of any other questions you have. My GPA was much lower than yours (3.1 cGPA and 3.4 sGPA) so you're sitting much higher than I was when I applied.

Also, how long did you study for the MCAT?

 

[bears1992]

That's persistence right there man. Congratulations! What year DO are you at the moment? Personally, I like the idea of DO more than an MD. Not sure why people turn their nose against it.. Lots of doctors who just give out antibiotics hence the high increase in antibiotic resistance..

As for the interview stages, what were some of the questions like?

I'll be starting July 2018. The only real difference in DO vs MD is that MDs have an easier time getting a residency spot. I've heard from both MDs and DOs that they cannot tell the difference between the two. As for the interview questions, they were mostly "tell me about a time you had to make a tough ethical decision, why DO, why our school, why not PA or NP"

As for MCAT study, I spent 3 hours a day 5 days a week for 6 months on MCAT. I think I should have spent more time with practice tests instead of content.

 

[DocSoc]

I'll be starting July 2018. The only real difference in DO vs MD is that MDs have an easier time getting a residency spot. I've heard from both MDs and DOs that they cannot tell the difference between the two. As for the interview questions, they were mostly "tell me about a time you had to make a tough ethical decision, why DO, why our school, why not PA or NP"

As for MCAT study, I spent 3 hours a day 5 days a week for 6 months on MCAT. I think I should have spent more time with practice tests instead of content.

That's interesting to hear. How many practice tests did you take?? I think once a month would be best if studying for 6 months.

 

[bears1992]

That's interesting to hear. How many practice tests did you take?? I think once a month would be best if studying for 6 months.

I took 7. You might need to take more/less depending if you are happy with your practice scores or not.

 

[Cath Up]

I'll be starting July 2018. The only real difference in DO vs MD is that MDs have an easier time getting a residency spot. I've heard from both MDs and DOs that they cannot tell the difference between the two. As for the interview questions, they were mostly "tell me about a time you had to make a tough ethical decision, why DO, why our school, why not PA or NP"

As for MCAT study, I spent 3 hours a day 5 days a week for 6 months on MCAT. I think I should have spent more time with practice tests instead of content.[/QUOTE]

Similar time commitment, similar sentiment for what I wish I would have done.